Texas, 2025

Drought in Texas, February 25 to 28, 2025

February 25 to 28, 2025 · NWS EWX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Another dry month led to worsening drought conditions for South-Central Texas. Most of the region saw 50% or less of normal precipitation in February.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS EWX wrote it up.

Another dry month led to worsening drought conditions for South-Central Texas. Most of the region saw 50% or less of normal precipitation in February. Medina County went from Extreme (D3) Drought category to Exceptional (D4) Drought. Atascosa, Frio, Maverick, Real, and Zavala counties went from Severe (D2) Drought to D3. De Witt, Gonzales, and Lavaca counties went from Moderate (D1) Drought to D2. The rest of our counties remained unchanged. Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Comal, Gillespie, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Uvalde, and Travis stayed in D3. Burnet, Caldwell, Dimmit, Edwards, Guadalupe, Kinney, Llano, Val Verde, Williamson, and Wilson remained in D2. The 7-day average streamflow at the end of the month was much below (<10%) normal on the Guadalupe, Frio, Medina, and upper Nueces Rivers. The lower San Antonio River was normal to below (10%-24%) normal. The Colorado and San Gabriel Rivers were below normal. The Pedernales River was in the Low category. The Edwards Aquifer dropped 1.0 foot and was 37.7 feet below normal. Medina Lake dropped 0.6 feet and was 93.4 feet below normal. Lake Travis dropped 0.4 feet and was 44.0 feet below normal. Canyon Lake dropped 0.5 feet and was 29.6 feet below normal. Lake Amistad dropped 0.1 feet and was 65.9 feet below normal. Lake Buchanan dropped 0.8 feet and was 18.3 below normal. Of the counties in D2 or worse drought only Kerr, Comal, Maverick, and Lavaca did not have outdoor burn bans in effect at the end of the month. Most public water systems encouraged at least voluntary water restrictions and many had mandatory restrictions. The City of Uvalde had stage 5, Fredericksburg had stage 4, San Antonio, Universal City, and Kerrville had stage 3, and Georgetown, New Braunfels, Del Rio, and Austin had stage 2.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 25, 5:36 AM CST, 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 5:36 AM CST, 24 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX
536 AM CST Tue Feb 25 2025

...New AVIATION...

.SHORT TERM...
(Today through Wednesday)
Issued at 127 AM CST Tue Feb 25 2025

Key Messages:

- Dense Fog Advisory in effect through mid-morning southeast of I-35.

- Areas of fog are expected again tonight into Wednesday morning.

Clear skies and light wind will aid in fog development early this
morning with the most favored location over the coastal plains.
Similar yesterday morning, fog may spread as far west as the I-35
corridor with patchy fog in portions of the Hill Country closer to
daybreak. Latest HREF guidance continues to suggest a 60-80% chance
for dense fog south and east of I-35 where a Dense Fog Advisory
remains in effect through 10 AM. Will need to watch trends as this
Advisory could expanded further west closer to sunrise. Fog and low
clouds will be quick to lift and dissipate late morning with mostly
sunny skies expected this afternoon.

Highs today will range from the mid and upper 70s east to the low
and upper 80s west with southerly flow. Increased moisture will
allow for low cloud development over the majority of the area late
tonight into Wednesday keeping lows in the upper 40s to low 50s.
Patchy or areas of fog are also forecast to develop across South
Central Texas. Another day with highs in the mid 70s to mid 80s is
expected Wednesday ahead of a cold front expected Wednesday night.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Wednesday night through Monday)
Issued at 127 AM CST Tue Feb 25 2025

Key Messages:

- Mild and seasonable pattern expected through the long term period
  with occasional rain chances.

Nearly zonal flow at the 500mb level will allow our pattern to remain
rather benign through the long term forecast period. The only
exception may be Wednesday night into Thursday morning when a weak
mid-level disturbance slides past us to the north, allowing a weak
frontal boundary to move southward on Thursday morning. Temperatures
behind this front won't be much cooler than what we have in place,
falling into the 60s rather than 70s. The cooldown will be brief,
with highs back in the 70s by Thursday, followed by upper 50s to
lower and middle 80s as we flip the calendar over to March on
Saturday. Some showers and storms may develop Sunday afternoon and
again on Tuesday, but overall, a quiet, cooler in the morning, and
warmer in the afternoon regime will continue through the long term
period.

&&

.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 534 AM CST Tue Feb 25 2025

Very low ceilings and areas of fog have developed over the coastal
plains and southern portions of the I-35 corridor including SAT/SSF.
Fog may be dense at times for SAT/SSF through 16Z with lesser
confidence for dense fog at AUS. LIFR ceilings will continue at
SAT/SSF through around 16Z before clearing is seen mid to late morning
and VFR conditions return under clear skies. Low clouds and areas of
fog are expected to develop again overnight but timing at terminals
for reduced conditions remains somewhat unclear. VFR conditions
remain at DRT through the entire period.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Austin Camp Mabry              75  53  76  54 /   0   0   0   0
Austin Bergstrom Intl Airport  74  53  76  55 /   0   0   0   0
New Braunfels Muni Airport     77  53  78  55 /   0   0   0   0
Burnet Muni Airport            78  51  77  52 /   0   0   0   0
Del Rio Intl Airport           87  53  81  56 /   0   0   0   0
Georgetown Muni Airport        74  52  76  53 /   0   0   0  10
Hondo Muni Airport             80  51  80  55 /   0   0   0   0
San Marcos Muni Airport        76  52  77  55 /   0   0   0   0
La Grange - Fayette Regional   74  53  77  55 /   0   0   0   0
San Antonio Intl Airport       78  53  78  55 /   0   0   0   0
Stinson Muni Airport           79  53  79  57 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Dense Fog Advisory until 10 AM CST this morning for Atascosa-
Bastrop-Caldwell-De Witt-Fayette-Frio-Gonzales-Guadalupe-Karnes-
Lavaca-Lee-Wilson.

&&

Short-Term...27
Long-Term...MMM
Aviation...27

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, De Witt

When
February 25, 6:00 AM CST to February 28, 11:59 PM CST
Where
De Witt forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
29.082, -97.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Another dry month led to worsening drought conditions for South-Central Texas. Most of the region saw 50% or less of normal precipitation in February. Medina County went from Extreme (D3) Drought category to Exceptional (D4) Drought. Atascosa, Frio, Maverick, Real, and Zavala counties went from Severe (D2) Drought to D3. De Witt, Gonzales, and Lavaca counties went from Moderate (D1) Drought to D2. The rest of our counties remained unchanged. Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Comal, Gillespie, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Uvalde, and Travis stayed in D3. Burnet, Caldwell, Dimmit, Edwards, Guadalupe, Kinney, Llano, Val Verde, Williamson, and Wilson remained in D2. The 7-day average streamflow at the end of the month was much below (<10%) normal on the Guadalupe, Frio, Medina, and upper Nueces Rivers. The lower San Antonio River was normal to below (10%-24%) normal. The Colorado and San Gabriel Rivers were below normal. The Pedernales River was in the Low category. The Edwards Aquifer dropped 1.0 foot and was 37.7 feet below normal. Medina Lake dropped 0.6 feet and was 93.4 feet below normal. Lake Travis dropped 0.4 feet and was 44.0 feet below normal. Canyon Lake dropped 0.5 feet and was 29.6 feet below normal. Lake Amistad dropped 0.1 feet and was 65.9 feet below normal. Lake Buchanan dropped 0.8 feet and was 18.3 below normal. Of the counties in D2 or worse drought only Kerr, Comal, Maverick, and Lavaca did not have outdoor burn bans in effect at the end of the month. Most public water systems encouraged at least voluntary water restrictions and many had mandatory restrictions. The City of Uvalde had stage 5, Fredericksburg had stage 4, San Antonio, Universal City, and Kerrville had stage 3, and Georgetown, New Braunfels, Del Rio, and Austin had stage 2.

Drought, Lavaca

When
February 25, 6:00 AM CST to February 28, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lavaca forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
29.384, -96.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Another dry month led to worsening drought conditions for South-Central Texas. Most of the region saw 50% or less of normal precipitation in February. Medina County went from Extreme (D3) Drought category to Exceptional (D4) Drought. Atascosa, Frio, Maverick, Real, and Zavala counties went from Severe (D2) Drought to D3. De Witt, Gonzales, and Lavaca counties went from Moderate (D1) Drought to D2. The rest of our counties remained unchanged. Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Comal, Gillespie, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Uvalde, and Travis stayed in D3. Burnet, Caldwell, Dimmit, Edwards, Guadalupe, Kinney, Llano, Val Verde, Williamson, and Wilson remained in D2. The 7-day average streamflow at the end of the month was much below (<10%) normal on the Guadalupe, Frio, Medina, and upper Nueces Rivers. The lower San Antonio River was normal to below (10%-24%) normal. The Colorado and San Gabriel Rivers were below normal. The Pedernales River was in the Low category. The Edwards Aquifer dropped 1.0 foot and was 37.7 feet below normal. Medina Lake dropped 0.6 feet and was 93.4 feet below normal. Lake Travis dropped 0.4 feet and was 44.0 feet below normal. Canyon Lake dropped 0.5 feet and was 29.6 feet below normal. Lake Amistad dropped 0.1 feet and was 65.9 feet below normal. Lake Buchanan dropped 0.8 feet and was 18.3 below normal. Of the counties in D2 or worse drought only Kerr, Comal, Maverick, and Lavaca did not have outdoor burn bans in effect at the end of the month. Most public water systems encouraged at least voluntary water restrictions and many had mandatory restrictions. The City of Uvalde had stage 5, Fredericksburg had stage 4, San Antonio, Universal City, and Kerrville had stage 3, and Georgetown, New Braunfels, Del Rio, and Austin had stage 2.

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, February 2025

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1234266, 1234267.